SAU President Dr. Trey Berry and SouthArk President Dr. Barbara Jones sign three new 2+2 agreements to help students seamlessly start at SouthArk and complete bachelor’s degrees in Criminal Justice, Industrial Technology/Mechatronics and the Information Technology.
Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia and South Arkansas Community College in El Dorado are teaming up to educate, train, and inspire new and future social work practitioners to fill a need for Southwest Arkansas.
Representatives from SAU and SouthArk met on July 6 to officially sign three 2+2 transfer agreements – Social Work, Industrial Technology/Mechatronics and Computer Information Technology. These 2+2 agreements will facilitate easy transfer of coursework with no loss of credit and greater affordability. They will begin fall 2016, and are the latest of several collaborations between SAU and SouthArk. Another recent 2+2 option is Criminal Justice, for which students have begun studies in El Dorado before easily transferring to the Magnolia campus to finish their degrees.
Similar to the Criminal Justice offering, the Social Work agreement was initiated by awareness of a need in the job market.
“There is a very low number of licensed social workers in Southwest Arkansas,” said Jennifer Turner, assistant professor of social work at SAU. “According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, they anticipate a 12% job growth rate in general for social workers. Therefore, the collaboration between SAU and SouthArk should help dramatically increase the number of social workers in our area.”
This agreement means that students can complete their first two years of coursework at SouthArk and earn an Associates of Arts degree toward an accredited Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) degree from SAU.
An additional advantage is that SAU will begin offering social work classes each semester at the SouthArk campus, according to Dr. Deborah Wilson, department chair of the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences.
Social work classes offered by SouthArk include Intro to Social Work, Social Problems, Intro to Sociology and Abnormal Psychology. Courses to be completed with SAU include Community Service Learning, Cultural Diversity, Research Methods and Field Practicums.
“When you become a student in SAU’s Social Work program, you’ll do more than just take classes and complete projects. You’ll become part of a caring family, with experienced faculty members dedicated to helping you develop the skills you need to get you off toward a good start in your career and become a successful social worker,” said Turner.
By earning a degree in social work from a university that has been accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE), students are eligible to apply for leisure through the Arkansas Social Work Licensing Board. Upon applying for licensure, applicants are granted a Provisional Social Work License so they can work in their desired field until passing the licensure exam and becoming a Licensed Social Worker (LSM).
Another option for social work graduates is to attend a graduate school, earning a Master of Social Work degree. Most MSW programs offer accelerated one year programs called Advanced Standing Programs. These require completion of a BSW within the last five years, an overall GPA of at least 3.0, and demonstrated mastery of core curriculum content.
The BSW program at SAU attracts students who are interested in improving the quality of life for others. While at SAU, students practice social work skills by joining Social Work Leadership (SWEL) and helping community agencies with various events and activities. Graduates can practice in a variety of settings including hospitals, long-term care facilities and service agencies including hospice and the Department of Human Services.
The degree requires a total of 123 hours, and a number of financial aid resources are available through SAU and SouthArk. For more information, visit www.SouthArk.edu or www.SAUmag.edu.
